Tea!
by 14AmyChan
Summary: Our favorite assistant is bored, then suddenly visited by our favorite team. What happens when a sudden competition is launched, and why must our favorite narcissist suffer for it? XD And where did Yasu come from? just random fun here. MaiXNaru, MXJ, AyakoXBou-san/Monk
1. A competition!

_**14AmyChan: okay, I know I don't write anything for this fandom, but I love it so!**_

_**Naru: Amy-Chan does not own Ghost Hunt.**_

_**Mai: I'm glad, too. Have you seen what she writes for her other "favorite shows"? *shudder***_

_Tick, tick, tick_…

"I'm so booored," Mai Taniyama droned, listening to the clock on the other side of the room. There were no clients, no paperwork, no filing, and no Naru to annoy today.

In short, she was watching the office while he and Lin went out for office supplies.

_Tick, tick, tick…_

Mai glanced lazily over to the clock which repeated its offending noise. How could it stand to do that, day in and day out? Just that annoying…

_Tick, tick, tick…_

Yeah, _that_… Oh, the boredom! There was absolutely nothing to do! She might as well die of the everlasting, never ceasing—

_Slam!_

"Hey Mai!" a familiar voice called through the office. Thrilled at a new diversion from that broken clock, the high schooler got up and greeted the familiar couple as they entered the office.

"Hi, Bou-san, Ayako!" Mai greeted cheerfully, not very surprised to see the two together. They actually got along quite well, despite the constant bickering.

"Hello, Mai, _brr_, it's cold out there," the self-proclaimed priestess huffed dramatically. Mai, giggled a bit at this, grateful for the slightest distraction.

"Yes, it is. Would you like some tea?" Mai offered, having already turned her back to enter the kitchen. She herself felt the need for tea.

"Tea would be quite sufficient, Mai, thank you," a new guest in a kimono said delicately. Mai's head spun faster than a top.

"Ah, Masako! And John!" Mai greeted the two delightfully, and began to do her thing. After the tea was finished and dished out, the group sat in SPR's office, chatting it up and making jokes in no time. It did not take long for a certain someone to make the slightest jab to start a questionable series of events.

"I do not understand how Naru-san is able to drink this substance day in and day out. Do you prepare it this way every time, Mai?" Masako asked, the arm of her kimono covering her mouth, and her eyes betraying her jabbing nature. Mai reminded herself to stay calm and collected. It was—after all—she who had been bored. Who knew, perhaps it could lead to something really entertaining.

"Yes, I do, Hara-san. Do you believe you could do better?" Mai asked politely, everyone in the room most definitely feeling the challenge. Masako's features darkened slightly, yet she maintained her petite composure.

"As a matter of fact, I can," the TV star rose to the challenge quickly, yet remained seated. Her eyes glimmered with a shot to take one of her rivals down, and Mai stood her ground.

"Then why don't you try? Supplies are in the kitchen," Mai offered, and no one could mistake the edge in her voice. Ayako, Bou-san, John, and—for reasons unexplained to even you, the reader—Yasu were exchanging bets on who would win this showdown.

"Wait a minute, why don't we all make tea? Then we can see who makes the best?" Yasu proposed gleefully. Mai had no idea the guy had even come into the office, but saw no harm in the proposition.

"Okay, who's going to be the judge?" Mai asked. It was obvious to her that one person had to _not_ make tea in order to judge them all equally. The room was silent for a moment, and a cold gust of air blew through the office. Everyone turned to see the boss of SPR and his ever-trustworthy assistant come through the door. Lin immediately went to his office with a few recently purchased supplies and shut the door firmly. On the door read an extremely clear "Do Not Disturb" sign.

Naru, on the other hand, simply stared at the congregation in his office with narrowed eyes.

"How many times have I said this is not a café?" the dark-haired young man asked. Mai began to stammer a response before he shook his head, obviously not wanting to hear any excuses.

"When you leave, don't leave a mess. And Mai, tea." Naru demanded as he walked to his office and shut the door firmly.

"Is anyone else thinking what I'm thinking?" Bou-san asked a few moments after Naru had shut the door. Ayako, Masako, and Yasu nodded in response with mischievous smiles in their eyes.

"What is it?" John asked, while Mai thanked him mentally. She had no idea what the others were on about now.

"We should get Naru to do it!" Masako said with glee, already making her way to the kitchen. She was already deftly gathering the supplies she would need for her cup of tea for Naru.

"Experiment on Naru's tea?!" Mai whispered, horrified. She, above everyone else, knew nothing good would come of meddling with Naru's precious tea.

"We're not experimenting, we're competing," Masako contradicted as she watched the pot boil. She casually flicked her eyes in Mai's direction before adding cheekily, "Of course, we both know that he will much prefer my tea over yours…"

"No, he likes it the way I make it," Mai seethed, having easily been baited. She was now determined to win this competition.

"You guys going to make Naru tea as well?" John asked, already deciding to stay far away from Naru's tea as possible. He most certainly did not want to risk his life, and much preferred the sidelines in actions such as this.

"I'll show both of you girls what it is to make tea," Ayako proclaimed quietly, making sure not to elicit the wrath of Naru, who sat in his cave just across the hallway. Door shut or no, she was not taking chances with the boy.

"I'll sit out on this one and watch how the girls do it," Bou-san pulled up a seat next to John. Truth be told, he never learned how to make tea, and would much rather make coffee instead. Everyone turned to Yasu, who had somehow gathered up a soccer ref's tee and hat, as well as a whistle.

"I'll stick this one out, too," the high schooler grinned, despite everyone joining in bing his idea. He randomly gathered a soccer ball out of thin air and spun it effortlessly on his finger.

"Where did you get the whistle…?" Mai said wondered aloud. She watched as the group divided into those making tea and those who would watch their friends' trying.

"Wait, shouldn't we have some rules?" Yasu asked, fake concern on his face not masking the glint of entertainment in his eyes. The soccer ball continued to spin on his finger.

"Like what rules?" Ayako huffed, her hands on her hips. "Don't poison or otherwise try to kill Naru, what else?"

"Mai should carry in the tea, just so we don't have him suspicious," Yasu said, then turned to Mai. "And you have to tell us what he says. He doesn't have a camera in there, you know."

"Fine, I guess this is all riding on me, huh?" Mai wondered aloud. She wondered if she were going to get yelled at or glared at, or if he would even notice the difference in his tea.

"Then may the best tea maker win!" Yasu exclaimed, pulling a green flag from nowhere and waving it about in the air. Everyone sweat dropped.

_**14AmyChan: well, I hope ya'll liked the first chapter~!**_

_**Naru: *eye is twitching***_

_**Mai: I think he means "don't touch my tea"**_

_**14AmyChan: too bad~! ;D**_


	2. Masako

_**14AmyChan: First up is Masako~!**_

_**Masako: watch as I brew the perfect cup of tea!**_

_**Mai: again: so glad Amy-chan does not own Ghost hunt…**_

"It's all in the stirring, you see, Mai?" Masako asked, her mocking tone obvious. Mai struggled not to roll her eyes as the doll-like girl stirred the tea gently, adding a few tiny drops of milk into the tea. The brunette raised an eyebrow, but did not otherwise comment.

"It's for his refined taste, something I believe you lack," the first tea-maker said as she finally removed the tea bag and handed the delicate china cup to the messenger. Her kimono-hidden face could not mask the smug smile she wore, and Mai made sure she did not drop the cup. This girl was going to loose, fair and square.

"And don't say anything to tip him off," Yasu whispered as he and the rest of the boys silently cheered Mai into her boss' cave—I mean, office. The brunette took a deep breath and said a quick prayer to life that she would not get killed or fired for this before knocking.

"Enter," Naru's voice was heard clearly from behind the door. Mai did so and did her best to act casual. She smiled as she placed Masako's tea in front of Naru and pushed it away from her to him. It was all she could do from "accidentally" spilling it.

Without one look at his assistant, the man at work reached instinctively for his drink. He held it in his hand for a moment while typing with his other hand, as if just to mock the poor girl.

_Just drink it already and tell me what you think…_ Mai silently pleaded with whomever was listening. Be it a god, a demi-god, or a bored author, she had no care, just so long as he drank it!

Finally, after a few moments, Naru lifted the cup to his lips and took a small sip. Almost immediately, he jerked the liquid away from his mouth and sent and ice-cold glare Mai's way.

"What is this?" Naru asked quite calmly. Mai's palms began to sweat. Maybe this really wasn't a good idea…

"It-it's tea, Naru," Mai did her best to sound as if she wanted him to like it, but from the glare on his face, she could tell it was an lost cause instantly. He set the cup down and moved it towards his assistant before returning to his computer.

"Make it again," he stated. Inwardly, Mai was unsure whether to be terrified for having incurred Naru's wrath via his tea, or delighted that Masako had made a tea that he so obviously did not like. Then she remembered it was supposed to have been her tea, so she acted thus.

"What?!" she exclaimed, even hurting her own eardrums. The narcissist, however, did not falter. His even gaze was fixed upon his monitor and his fingers flying across the keyboard.

"Make it again. Did I stutter, Mai?" Naru asked coolly. Mai fought to keep her heart rate down, and did the best thing she thought to do in this situation. She grabbed the tea and marched out of the room, slamming it for good measure.

Still, Naru heard the good-natured humming on the other side of his door. His gaze broke from the screen to glance at where Mai had just left. He then shook his head and returned to his work.

"That girl has too much free time on her hands…"

…/…/…/

Mai practically skipped into the room with the teacup in hand, and that was all the answer Masako needed. Rather than accept her defeat, she turned her back on Mai, anger and embarrassment evident across her face.

"He told me to 'make it again'," Mai said as she set the teacup down, quoting the air as needed. She was pleasantly surprised to see that Masako had cleaned the dishes she had used in making her one cup of tea.

"And he didn't even drink all that much," John observed, somehow having gotten up, walked over to the kitchen counter, grabbed the tea cup, and sat back down at his place on the couch.

"No way!" Masako exclaimed, horrified. She was about to hang her head in defeat when John himself took a sip and shrugged.

"I don't understand why he didn't like it," John stated aloud before continuing to drink from the disregarded cup of tea. "It tastes nice."

"O-oh, I see…" Masako's porcelain face played host to a slight blush for a while. She calmly walked over to the man who was drinking her tea and began a quiet conversation with him.

"Looks like it's my turn," Ayako smiled as she pulled out the dishes previously used by the spirit medium. "I'm going to make a tea that tastes better than anything he's ever tasted!"

_**14AmyChan: too bad, Masako, looks like Naru doesn't care for milk.**_

_**Masako: *turns away angrily***_

_**14AmyChan: please read and review~! *^_^***_


	3. Ayako

_**14AmyChan: okay, next up is Ayako!**_

_**Ayako: this is how tea is really made!**_

_**Mai: do I even need to say it anymore…?**_

"See how I let it sit for a little longer than Masako and you?" Ayako asked as she finally removed the tea bag. After she had done that, she grabbed two dashes of ground coffee beans and tossed them in. Mai tilted her head curiously.

"It's to give it a little kick," Ayako explained upon seeing the young girl's face. She then quickly stirred the tea—making sure the grounds were perfectly blended—before handing it over to Mai.

"You might as well call me the winner of all of this," Ayako called softly as Mai once again found herself outside of Naru's office. The small cup in her hand seemed like it weighed a ton she soon found herself knocking at Naru's door yet again.

"Enter," the man instructed, and she complied. She did her best to smile despite the suspicious glare she was receiving from her boss.

"Here you go," she said somewhat cheerfully as she placed the tea in front of him. A few moments of tense silence passed before he cautiously picked up the tea cup. He sniffed it warily before setting the cup down. He looked at his assistant, traces of tiredness in his eyes.

"Make it again," he said, his eyes narrowed. He was almost ninety seven percent sure of what was going on around here, though he simply wanted a cup of real tea. Entertainment from Mai's horrible acting was a pleasant bonus.

"Are you serious?" the girl tried to whine, though it simply sounded pitiful, even to her. So, rather than let Naru answer, she simply took the cup and fled the room.

Naru could hear humming, louder than before, just outside his door. He shook his head and wondered how many people were going to try and make him tea before he got the one that he actually wanted.

…/…/…/

"He didn't even touch it," Mai said apologetically to Ayako. Before she could make her way to the counter to drop off the tea, she found it missing from her hands. She turned around to see who had taken the cup before finding it in the hands of Bou-san.

"Are you serious?" the priestess asked. She seemed to not have noticed that Bou-san now had her cup of tea and was now sipping on it. She then "harrumph"ed and turned her head away, nose straight in the air. "Well, he just doesn't know what he's missing."

"I think Bou-san likes it," Mai put out there. For a man who did not care for tea much—and the only reason Mai made it for him was because he had never wanted to trouble her by making coffee—he was certainly enjoying the cup in his hands. At the mention of his name, Bou-san stopped drinking and turned to Ayako, who only looked at him in shock.

"It's nice and strong," the monk said, gesturing the cup over to the priestess before sipping on it again. He then grinned. "It's good for an old lady…"

Mai laughed at the bickering couple, and then realized that she was the only one yet to make any tea for her boss. Quickly, yet precisely, she made her cup of tea, exactly as her mother had shown her.

_**14AmyChan: lol, Naru may not have liked your tea, but Bou-san loved it!**_

_**Ayako: whatever! This is the first time I'll say he's got great taste!**_

_**Bou-san: hey!**_

_**Mai: please read and review!**_


	4. Mai

_**14AmyChan: okay, last bit, it's Mai's cup of tea!**_

_**Yasu: 14AMYCHAN DOESN'T OWN ANYTHING! *runs out on sugar high***_

_**14AmyChan: … o…kay…**_

"What are you doing?" Yasu asked as he looked curiously over Mai's shoulder. The girl had placed the teabag into the water as it boiled, rather than place it into the cup.

"I'm making tea for Naru," Mai explained. She heard the whistling of the kettle and counted to ten slowly in her mind.

_1…2…_

John and Masako were still talking over her cup of tea. Masako had giggled a lot during the conversation, and John's friendly laugh had been heard more than once.

_3…4…_

John then stood up and walked over to the kitchen, bidding farewell and motioning that he was to escort Masako to her hotel. Mai waved them off from her place near the kettle.

_5…6…_

Bou-san and Ayako were still bickering, though he was laughing. She seemed somewhat embarrassed before she somehow turned the tides on him and managed to leave him with a star struck face. Ayako then laughed.

_7…8…_

Yasu mentioned that he had better take the adults out of the office before they started to make out. Having been so deep in conversation, the two did not hear him, and were instead guided by him out of the office, talking and laughing all the way. Mai waved them off, as well.

_9…10!_

Mai quickly shut off the tea and poured a cup for Naru. Since there was enough for two and the girl dared not interrupt Lin, she poured a second cup for herself. She set the two cups on a plate and found herself once again in front of Naru's office door. She did not even have to knock this time.

"Come in, Mai," Naru's voice seemed tired as she opened the door. Upon seeing his face for the fourth time since he had arrived that afternoon, Mai instantly felt bad for having everyone mess with his tea. Even if it was to see which tea was the best.

"Here, Naru," Mai held his cup in front of her and waited for him to take it. After a few seconds, he did. He stared warily at her for a few moments, seeming to have not realized that the tea was in his hands.

"Something wrong, Naru?" Mai asked, worried that their contest may have aroused his anger. She felt somewhat relieved as he shook his head no and took a sip of his tea. He seemed to relax fractionally and though his general features did not show it, there was a twinkle in his eye that indicated that he was pleased.

"Mai," Naru stated as she was about to leave. She turned back around, almost hoping that he would ask her to stay and share a cup of tea, but she would not let her mind venture beyond that.

"Never let anyone else make my tea again," he stated solemnly, and Mai could not nod fast enough. He nodded his head slightly, indicating she could leave. Once she had, he took another sip of her tea.

Man, how he loved her tea. And her, but that was a revelation for another time.

_**14AmyChan: lol, I hope you enjoyed the product of my bordom!**_

_**Naru: Mai, tea!**_

_**Mai: but you just had 3 cups!**_


End file.
